Kansas State Is FWAA Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Team of the Week; Are Wildcats BCS Title Contenders, Too?

Sep 22, 2012; Norman, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back John Hubert (33) celebrates with fans after defeating Oklahoma Sooners 24-19 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas State’s road defeat of Oklahoma on Saturday garnered Bill Snyder’s Wildcats FWAA Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Team of the Week, beating out Central Michigan and Oregon State. Saturday’s win elevated the Wildcats to 4-0; it might also set the foundation for a run at the BCS title, too.

K-State’s methodical offensive approach and hard nosed defense stymied the explosive Sooners, holding OU to just 19 points. The Wildcats capitalized on costly Oklahoma turnovers, specifically Landry Jones’ fumble in the end zone for a K-State touchdown, and Blake Bell’s goal line drop as OU was threatening.

Oklahoma entered 2012 the presumptive Big 12 Conference favorite. K-State not only beating the Sooners, but doing so in Norman could suggest that the Wildcats are now the bunch to beat. And, ipso facto, that would mean KSU supplants OU as a BCS title contender. Could it be?

Snyder employs a style contradictory to the uptempo schemes seen around the Big 12, sticking out like a sore thumb. However, Alabama has won two of the last three BCS championships with a defense-oriented, no-frills offensive approach. Sandwiched between those Tide titles is Auburn’s 2010 championship run, which a dual threat quarterback powered. No one is mistaking Collin Klein’s style for that of Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, but the parallel of an offense building from a do-everything quarterback is there.

Obviously, maintaining Klein’s health is of critical importance to K-State’s long-term success. The ball-controlling offensive scheme flows through him. The emergence of John Hubert as a true, top tier feature back gives the Wildcats that added look so critical to success against the upper echelon competition KSU faces. Hubert was huge in the win over Oklahoma, and will need to be equally so with a difficult schedule looming.

The Wildcats draw three of the nation’s most potent offenses consecutively in West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The West Virginia is particularly intriguing, as KSU travels to Morgantown for that one. There couldn’t be two more contrasting philosophies than Snyder’s and Dana Holgorsen’s. KSU also faces Iowa State in Week 7, and recent contests between the Wildcats and Cyclones have come down to the final possessions.